Burn a sprig of rosemary

The aroma transported us to the seaside with a salty breeze carrying smoked bacon, charcoal, smoked limes, rock salt and crisp fried chilli and lime whitebait. On the palate we were however transported from the coast of Islay to Bamberg in Germany as we drank a smoked lager – earthy, peaty, dry and very delicious. Following reduction, we tucked into a dish of pan-roasted cod with blistered tomatoes, lemon and thyme, plus bacon cured with black pepper and juniper. To taste it was velvety smooth like a stout, subtly complex, while, in the finish, came the scent of a burning sprig of rosemary – a touch of sweet smoke, piney and with a spicy, camphor-like edge.